The Community Spotlight 2023.12.02

Welcome to the latest edition of the Giant Bomb Community Spotlight! I, @zombiepie, am once again honored to be your host as we look back at the best community creations from the previous week.

With it being the start of December, that can mean only one thing: Giant Bomb is officially in the midst of GOTY FEVER! In case you missed it, Giant Bomb has already started its GOTY coverage, category discussions, and podcasts so the staff can attend The 2023 Game Awards and host their own GOTY live show on December 9th! Friday, December 1st, saw the staff debate the site's first seven GOTY categories and the programming will continue on December 5th! If you want the VOD, here you go! If you are wondering about the future, here's a programming schedule in case you were wondering:

If you plan to be in LA on December 9th, tickets to attend Giant Bomb's LIVE GOTY performance are still available, though they are in low supply. Be aware: the tickets are $30, the venue is a standing concert hall with no seating, and if you are wondering about transportation you should check out the venue's FAQ.

When it comes to community-based GOTY stuff, I will try to get a thread up asking for people to share their GOTY lists to help me have an easier time collating them on the Spotlight. For now, I will hold off on making a dedicated GOTY section on the Spotlight as it seems many of you need more time to mull over your options. Also, I will try to ask about the status on community voting for GOTY next week.

When it comes to the site, I recently attended a meeting with a Fandom community engagement representative to talk about the state of Giant Bomb. They were incredibly frank and honest about the current situation with the Podcast feed and video player. They did explain the many ways people behind the scenes have attempted to resolve these issues and that led to the agreement that there needs to be greater transparency of what is being done to report and resolve issues on the site.

Whether that be a State of the Site show, pinned thread, or monthly article, everyone at the roundtable agreed that there needs to be better communication about what is being done to address issues and usability problems with the site. And as frustrating as it sounds, using the channels that you have to report these issues have helped and it is appreciated if they continue until these problems resolve. Please continue sending emails to support@giantbomb.com and pinging @dtoast in the appropriate bug reporting thread topics.

When it comes to podcast advertisements, there should be no political ads on any Giant Bomb related podcast and that doesn't just apply to premium subscribers. If you are getting political ads, send an email to support@giantbomb.com or report them to the site's Zendesk domain! For those of you still getting advertisements in the premium podcast feed, use same resources or drop a comment in this thread but please remember to @dtoast in your comment.

For those of you that wish to report advertisements that are displaying in a manner that make the site difficult to use, especially on mobile, there's a thread for you to report that. All Dylan/dtoast asks is that you include a screencap of what the advertisement looks like on your end.

Finally, in case you missed it last week, there is new merchandise in the Giant Bomb store! Before I list off all of the things available, be aware that the Holofoil prints are now SOLD OUT! If a new batch becomes available, I will try to keep you posted. Here's what is still up on the store and keep in mind that international shipping rate will apply to orders outside of North America:

• Giant Bomb x Cotopaxi Fanny Pack (1 Color Option Available) - $50
• Giant Bomb Sweats/Joggers (15 Color Options Available) - $55
• New Era Giant Bomb Logo Dad Hat (1 Color Option Available; Adjustable) - $30
• Giant Bomb x JustAJar Woodcut Poster (Standard Edition Only) - $30

Tweets

Galleria

Grubby Silverhand + Bailey: I'm A Spoiled Husband + Danny & Bakalar Skating (By: @kone)

As you can see, Kone had a field day joshing on and dunking on the Giant Bomb staff and friends of the site this week. To start things off, they imagined Grubb waking everyone up from their cyberpunk slumber to get ready for the site's GOTY onslaught.

Second, they memed Bailey making some traditional Japanese riceballs/onigiri with a t-shirt she was dunking on on Twitter.

Finally, they messed with Bakalar after Bakalar attempted to give Danny O'Dwyer guff for a photo he posted of himself in a hockey rink.

Mike Minotti x Roz From Monsters Inc. (By: @Blamala64)

Near the start of Giant Bomb's Day One GOTY podcast, an off-hand remark was made that Mike should be Roz from Monsters, Inc. to make sure that everyone sticks to the "correct" interpretation of every category. Over on Twitter, Michael Berger/Blamala64 took that mental image and made it a reality.

Video

Giant Bomb Blight Club Sonic '06 but Only the Loading Screens (Shadow Campaign) (By: DMonk52)

You may remember DMonk52 making a montage of every single time Dan experienced a load screen while playing the Sonic Campaign during the Giant Bomb Sonic 06 Blight Club. This week, they did the Shadow campaign load screens!

Activities

The GB Album Club 043 - Crime in Stereo is Dead by Crime in Stereo (By: @unclejam23)

The Giant Bomb Community Album Club is BACK and they are starting their comeback with Crime in Stereo is Dead by Crime in Stereo. Click the link above if you want to join the fun or don't know where to listen to it!

Cocoon Is The 25th Selection Of The UUGPGC. Finish By December 4. Mark All Spoilers! +

Unsanctioned Unofficial Game Pass Game Club Voting Thread For Cycle Starting December 4, 2023 (By: @bigsocrates)

Cocoon, a 2023 puzzle adventure game from Geometric Interactive, is the LATEST PICK for the Giant Bomb Community Game Pass Game Club! Do you have any early impressions of the game's style, structure, and gameplay?

Also, don't forget that there's a new round of voting for the community Game Pass Game Club. Here's a list of nominees and remember, you can vote for TWO GAMES you'd like to see get played.

Blogs

DOOM Is Turning 30 So Let's Ramble About DOOM (By: @ford_dent)

The original Doom is turning 30 years old and Ford_Dent talks about their long-standing relationship with the game that started it all and why they still feel good about the future of the series.

What's the Greatest Video Game(s): It's Kooky & The Bridge (By: @imunbeatable80)

For their latest "What's the Greatest Video Game" feature, imunbeatable80 has a two-for-one special! This week, they checked out the indie monochromatic puzzle games It's Kooky AND The Bridge. Read to see if they recommend either game!

Can You Call A Game One Of Your Favorites If You Took A Long (Multi-Year) Break Between Starting And Finishing? (By: @bigsocrates)

bigsocrates wrote why it took them multiple years to finish Yakuza 0 and how despite these hiatuses, the game still stands as one of their all-time favorites. Is there any game you love that took a while to complete?

VN-ese Waltz Book 2: VN-ese Whirls +

Indie Game of the Week 348: Q.U.B.E. 2 (By: @mento)

Moderator Mento shares a batch of visual novels they played this year before they start to fret about making their 2023 GOTY list. Read all about their thoughts about Paranormasight: The Seven Mysteries of Honjo and Umineko When They Cry: Question Arcs!

Additionally, Mento has another edition of their weekly "Indie Game of the Week" series and this one is dedicated to Q.U.B.E. 2 and debates if it properly improves on the first game.

All FromSoft Games Are Bad: 1995 (By: @borgmaster)

borgmaster continues their effort to get to the bottom of why FromSoftware, Inc. games just don't work for them with a look at King's Field II! Why do they think this game set the wrong mold for future FromSoft games? Read to find out!

2023 Steam Awards Roundup (By: @dinoracha)

The 2023 Steam Awards were taking nominations until the end of November and Dinoracha mulled over the games they nominated and why they think they were worthy award recipients on their latest blog.

Game of the Year 2023 and the 2nd Annual Willies Awards (By: @willin)

Originally, willin was worried about airing their GOTY blog and list on Giant Bomb early. However, with Giant Bomb moving to an early GOTY date, they don't feel as bad anymore and you should check out which games made their list by clicking the link above!

Discussion Threads

In 2021 Unity Bought A Part Of Weta For $1.6 Billion. This Week They Closed Weta Digital And Laid Off 256 People (By: @zombiepie)

In 2021, Unity bought a part of Peter Jackson's Weta for $1.6 billion. This week, they shut Weta Digital down and most of the laid off are returning to Jackson. What does this say about the state of Unity?

Jirard Khalil "The Completionist" Has Seemingly Been Committing Fraud By Pocketing Charity Donations (By: @shaanyboi)

How many of you have been following the news about the charity scandal associated with Jirard "The Completionist" Khalil? How are you making informed decisions about who you donate to, and how would you advise others?

Embracer Has Laid Off ~1,000 People Since June; Board Absolved Of Responsibility; Debt Currently $1.4 Billion (By: @zombiepie)

With the layoffs and closures announced recently, Embracer Group is nearing 1,000 employees fired since June. How did they get here? Will Embracer exist by the end of 2024? Get a recent update about the outfit and join the discussion

'Tis the Season of Capitalism - What's Your Haul? (By: @mellotronrules)

How many of those of you in the Giant Bomb community partook in buying physical or digital goods during Black Friday or Cyber Monday? What do the events mean to you these days? How are you avoiding all of the emails and spam?

Lists

Batman Arkham City Presents the Short of It in 2023 (By: @infantpipoc)

infantpipoc has been thinking about Batman: Arkham City recently thanks to replaying the game. To highlight the game's enduring legacy, they point out how every game on their 2023 GOTY list bears some resemblance to it!

Odd & Disturbed Worlds (By: @boosturook)

BoosTurook has a new list feature that is looking for YOUR HELP! They are looking to create the definitive list of games with unique hellscapes or disturbed environments.

User Reviews

@infantpipoc shares why they think Persona 5 Tactica is a spin-off that is worthy of continuing to keep the Persona 5 torch lit! Read all about the ways they think the game successfully marries tactical gameplay with Persona.

@pauljeremiah's Red Dead Redemption review gets to the bottom of why some are quick to criticize the game and explains why he errs on the side of calling it a modern video game masterpiece. Whether you agree or not, give his review a read!

Wiki Of The Week

Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars

The lovingly made remake, Super Mario RPG, has been getting some 2023 GOTY hype. As a result, this edition of Giant Bomb's Wiki of the Week goes to the original game, Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars! Why are so many people nostalgic for Mario first RPG adventure? Give our wiki page a read to find out!